Lacy Szuwalski
- Sep 6, 2020
- 3 min read

Mt. Whitney

22.5 Miles of Beauty and 6,656 ft. of Elevation Gain

Destination

Mt. Whitney Summit

For the past three years, my friend and I have gone on a backpacking trip for her birthday in August. In 2018, we backpacked in Big Sur. In 2019, we backpacked to Thousand Island Lake in Inyo National Forest, and this year we decided to take on Whitney.

I applied for the Whitney permit in February on the recreation.gov website. When you apply, you select 15 potential dates and then find out in March if you landed a spot or not. We lucked out and got the exact date of her birthday as our day to make the ascent to the summit.

I spent the months leading up to Whitney hiking any long trails I could find with decent elevation gains. I had heard that Whitney could be a beast because of the altitude (14,508 ft.) and didn't want that to stop me from summiting. Some of my favorite training trails included San Jacinto Peak and San Gorgonio.

Tips for a Successful Summit/Trip

Connect with others who have done the trail. (I joined the Mt. Whitney Facebook Group and got a lot of valuable advice.)
Get to Lone Pine the day before you start the trail. Do a day hike to Lone Pine Lake or somewhere in the area to acclimate. (You don't need a permit to hike to Lone Pine Lake.) We also camped at the walk-in sites at Whitney Portal to help with acclimation. They are first come first serve and cost $15 dollars. Have exact cash ready to put in an envelope.
Take hiking poles. 6,656 feet of elevation gain is no joke on the knees. Poles help take some of the impact.
Water is easily accessed in many spots on the way up to Trail Camp. Don't weigh your pack down with water. Get it as you go. We started with 2 liters each and stopped and filled up as needed.
Double check your bag before heading up the trail. (I forgot my lunch in the cooler and was quite unhappy with myself. Be sure to bring sun protection. Much of the trail past Trail Camp is completely exposed.)
Enjoy the lakes on the way up! We swam in Mirror Lake. I'd say no swimsuit is necessary, but I don't know the rules on that. I went by the rule of asking others if they cared and they didn't.
I read somewhere to eat every hour to help ward off altitude sickness, so I took little bites of trail mix along the way and made sure to drink often even if I wasn't hungry or thirsty. It seemed to work.
Start the switchbacks early. We left Trail Camp at 2:30 a.m. The moon and Venus guided our way up. As we were hiking on the ridge line, we were able to see the sun rise and the moon set almost simultaneously. It was pretty epic. Not only does starting early get you amazing views, but it also keeps you nice and cool.
Set up a place to camp for the night of your descent. The last thing you want to worry about on your way down is where you're going to sleep. We camped at Mt. Whitney Family Campground and stayed at Campsite #4. We loved it so much that we stayed an extra night.
Be sure to remove all food or things that bears can smell from your vehicle. We saw a car with its window smashed and hummus spread across the ground in the parking lot. Bears are powerful creatures. Protect them and your vehicle by putting your food in a bear locker.
When you're heading out, stop and check out the Mobius Arch Loop Trail off Movie Rd. It offers unique scenery with beautiful views of the mountains.